RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT)—Richmond city leaders are considering taxing plastic bags, believing it would reduce waste in the River City.

“We anticipate the region will run out of landfill space in 20 years,” said Laura Thomas, Director of the Department of Sustainability. “It takes 10 years to establish a new landfill.”

Leaders from OOS say their goal is to reduce landfill waste by 25% by 2030.

“These plastics have a devastating impact both on our environment and our city infrastructure,” said Tara Worden, Manager at OOS. “Plastic waste is a significant contributor to drain blockages throughout the city.”

If the measure passes, Richmond would be the 11th locality in the commonwealth to implement this type of tax. Shoppers in grocery stores, convenience stores, or pharmacies could see a 5 cent charge per plastic bag.

“In general, I would be okay with it,” one neighbor said. “It would discourage the use of plastic. It doesn’t strike me as a ton of money for the bags.”

However, another neighbor disagreed.

“I think it’s a bad idea; we are already paying taxes on everything else,” the other neighbor said.

According to the proposal, the city is expected to make around $400K annually if they charge for plastic bags.

“Revenue generated would be restricted to environmental clean-ups, to environmental recycling education programs or providing reusable bags to recipients of SNAP/WIC benefit,” Worden said.

The city council is expected to vote on this on April 28. If passed, they intend to host a community engagement period to distribute reusable bags, prioritizing neighborhoods with high SNAP and WIC participation. Then, bag tax collection would start in January 2026.

The waste sustainability project also includes enforcing the polystyrene ban for food vendors and the balloon release ban, which includes a $25 fine per balloon released.

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